Method of and apparatus for vulcanizing rubber



R. R. WILLIAMS METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR VULCANIZING RUBBER June 30,1925.' v 1,543,890

Filed April 50, 1925 I V i te? s i 'Patented June 30,)1925.. i

I UNITED STATES 'PArENr orma-v uBOIBEBII It. WILLIAMS, OF BOSELLE, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK,N.

Y., A. CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

METHOD OF A ND APPARATUS FOB VULCANIZING RUBBER.

Application led April 30, 1923. Serial No. 635,408.j

To all 'who/mt may concem.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT R. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Roselle, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of andApparatus for Vulcanizing Rubber, of which the following is a full,clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for vulcanizingrubber and similar materials, and more particularly to the vulcanizationof materials of this nature in strand form or surrounding a core.

According to one method employed in the insulation of electricalconductors of considerable length a compound of rubber or other similarmaterial is extruded over the conductor and the covered conductor isWound on a reel which is then placed in an oven and subjected tovulcanizing temperatures, in some instances in the presence of steam.

In order to insure uniform vulcanization of the insulating materialthroughout the length of the conductor it is desirable that all portionsthereof be subjected simultaneously to the same temperatures. Since insome instances there are several layers of conductor on the reel, theouter layers tend to shield the intermediate layers nearer the peripheryof the drum portion of the reel and thus delay the heating of the lattermentioned layers.

The effectiveness of the rubber or other material as an insulation beingdependent to some extent upon the thickness of its wall it is desirableto prevent the decentralization of the core in the somewhat plasticmaterial during the process of vulcanization.

An object ofthis invention is to insure uniform vulcanization of severallayers of material.

Another object is to prevent decentralization of a core within a sheathduring theticles being vulcanized.

In order to attain these ob'ects in accord- .ance with one embodiment othe invention,

a core` having a sheath of plastic material is wound upon the foraminoussurface of a hollow drum of a reel in such a manner as to provideappreciable spaces between adjacent oo nvolut1ons. The reel is thenintroduced into the vulcanizing oven oven externally of the reel, thusinsuring that theheatingmedium circulate through the layers of sheathedcores on the, reel. During the vulcanizationperiod the oven and reel arerevolved on the axis of the reel to overcome the tendency of the plasticsheath to become deformed which might result in the decentralization ofthe core therein. y

It is believed that the invention will be clearly understood from thefollowing description and the accompan ing drawings showing va preferredtype o apparatus by which the invention may be performed, and in which lFig. 1 shows a vertical cross-section of the vulcanizing oven containingthe reel of material to be vulcanized;

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged sectional view of some of the sheathed cores,illustrating more clerly their spaced orvseparated formation; an

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal view of a portion of the conduitemployed for introducing steam or other heatmg medium into the oven. y

As shown in the drawings, a cylindrical oven 10 having one end open withan outturned liange 11 is supported bya lurality of rollers 12 which maybe driven om any suitable source of powerv (not shown) through a shaft13 which is supported in bearings 14: mounted upon the fioor. Althoughon ly one shaft and two rollers are shown, it is to be understood` thatanother shaft similar to shaft 13 and parallel thereto will beprovided'pwhich carries a similarnumber of rollers -so that the ovenvrests between the two sets of rollers .as in a cradle.

A reel, designated generally by the character 20, is provided with aclosed head 21 of a diameter slightly less than the internal diameter ofthe oven l0. At the opposite end of the reel a closed head 22 isprovided one head of the reel servlng to hermetically seal the which hasa diameter approximately that of the outwardly turned flange 11 of theoven.-

The head 22 is arranged so that it may be i secured to the flange 11 bymeans of a plureel 20 are suitabl rality of bolts'23, or otherwise, agasket 24 of an suitable compressible material being place `between theadjacent surfaces to hermeticall seal the oven when the reel 1s at-vtached t ereto. The heads 21 and 22 of the tied together by means of aplurality of tie rods 25 and each head is rovided with a suitableinternal hollow liu 26 which is attached thereto -by bolts. The head 22also carries an external h ub flange 28 having a central opening in linewith the openings of the associated hubs..

The outer'perlphery ofthe drum portlon lof the reel 20 is provided witha'plurality of perforations 30 to make -it foraminous. The wall lof thedrum is supported at suitable intervals by disc-like plates 31 suitablyattached to the wall and provided with o enings or erforations 33therethrough. he left hand) end of the oven 10 is provided with acentrally located socket' 34 having an opening which gradually increasesin ia eter .toward the interior of the oven, while it remainssubstantially ata constant diam-V eter toward the outward end of thesocket member. A conduit 40 extends through the end 22 and the left handend of such conduit is tapered to permit the ready guiding of suchconduit into the socket member 34. The right hand end of the conduit 40is connected with a suitable 'hand `valve 41- whichl controls thesupplyof steam or other suitable heating medium from a source (not intoplace Acompresses a bushing member 44- to effectively prevent the escapeof the medium which passes through the conduit 40. The conduit 40 isprovided with a plurality of openings 45 of suitable size from a pointWithin the oven to a point just within the oven' near the flange member26 attached to the head 21. These openings occur' around thecircumference so that the.steam which is carried within the conduit 40may escape in all directions within the reel 20. A plug of suitablematerial 46 is introduced into the conduit 40 at a point in line wit-hYthe head 21to' prevent the continued iow of steam beyond such head.Another series of openings 47 similar to the openings .45 is provided inthe portion of the conduit 40 extending from the outside of the head 21to the socket member 34 lfor receiving steam. Connecting with thetapered end of the conduit 40 through the socket member 34 is an outletconduit 50. A cap member 51 engaging the socket member 34 upon beingscrewed into place compresses a bushing member 52 to electively seal theconnection of the conduit 5() with the member 34. The

'the convolutions fof which .swim

and another conduit 54 with a suitable exhaust means not shown), thevalve 53 controlling the e ectiveness of such means upon the conduit50.- Around the periphery of the drum a wrappin of cloth such as burlapor some other suitab e orous or foraminous material 55 is provi ed uponwhich the sheathed core 56 may be wound in helices are separatedsomewhat to permit the ready ilow therebetween of the steam or otherheating medium employed. The adjacent layers ofi sheathed lcore may beseparated by layers of cloth. vsuch as burlap or some other suitableforaminous material 57 which `serves as a padding material to preventdeformation of the sheath as well as to provide spaces' throu h whichthe steam may flow.

In t e operation of the apparatus the reel 20 may receive the sheathedcore as it emerges from the extr'uding machine, after which the reel isconveyed in any suitable manner to the oven and the'head 21 insertedtherein, the tapered end of the conduit 40 serving to properly guide thereel into place as shown. The head 22 is then securedly attached'to theflange 11, thus sealing the oven, including the reel, with the exceptionof the conduit 40 and the outlet condult 50. The valve 41 is then openedallowin steam to enter the oven through the con uits 42 and 40. Thevalve 53 is also opened, thereby connecting the exhaust means vwith theinterior of the oven through the conduits 54, 50, and the left hand endof the conduit 40.y The pressure of the steam flowing outwardly throughthe openings 45 in the conduit 40 allows a greater quantity of steam tocir culate through the openings 30 and between the adjacent convolutionsand layers of the sheathed core 56 so that all portions of such core andall layers thereof. are subjected to the steam and are thereby heated tothe required temperature in the. shortest eriod of time. This process isfurther ai ed by the withdrawal through the conduit 50 of the Wet steamvfrom the outer layer of the sheathed core through spaces between thehead 2l and the interior wall of the oven 10 through the perforations'47in the left hand end of the conduit 40 and through the conduits 50 and54. Thus a predetermined and definite route for the steam is estab thereel attached thereto, the conduits 40, i

42, 5 0, and 54 remaining stationary. This rotation of the reel duringthe vulcanizing period prevents the sagging or deformation of theplastic sheath and further promotes the uniform heating of the sheath.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of vulcanizing an article, which comprises placing thearticle in an oven, introducing therein a heating medium for vulcanizingthe article, and rotating the oven during vulcanization.

2. The method of vulcanizing a core sheathing, wrapped in a plurality oflayers on a drum having a foraminous portion, which consists 1n placingthe drum 1n an enclosure, introducing steam into the interior of thedrum, withdrawing the steam from the external layer of the sheathing,and rotating the enclosure during the vulcanization.

'3. In a vulcanizing apparatus, a hollow drum having a foraminousportion for receiving a strand .of vulcanizable material, an open endreceptacle for the drum, one headof the drum extending beyond theperiphery of the rece tacle and adapted tol seal the receptacle w en thedrum is placed therein, and means extending through said headV to conveysteam to the interior of the drum.

4. In an apparatus for vulcanizing a sheathed core, a reel having aforaminous drum for receiving the sheathed core, an

oven for enclosing the reel, means for directing steam into the oven,and means for rotating the oven. l

5. In an apparatus for vulcanizing a sheathed core, a reel having aforaminous drum for receiving the sheathed core, an oven for enclosingthe reel, means for attaching the reel to the oven, means for directingsteam into the oven, and means for rotating'the oven and thereelattached thereto.

6. In an apparatus for vulcanizing a' sheathed core, an oven, a reelhavin wa foraminous drum for receiving the sheat ed core, one head ofsuch reel being of a diameter smaller than the internal diameter ofk theoven, and the other head of the reel being of a diameter greater thantheexternal' diameter 4of the oven, means for attaching thel lattermentioned head to the wall of the oven thereby sealing the oven, andmeans for introducing a Vulcanizing heating agent into the oven.

7. In a vulcanizing apparatus, an oven, a rotatable support for materialto be vulcanized, said support having a portion cooperating with theoven for sealing the oven When the support is placed therein, and meansfor introducing a medium for producing vulcanizing temperatures withinthe oven.

8. In an apparatus for vulcanizing strands of material, a reel having aforaminous drum for receiving the strand, a conduit extending throughand rotatably supporting the reel and having a plurality of openingstherein, means for admitting steam to the conduit whereby the steamflows through the openings in the conduit and the foraminous portion .ofthe drum to 1l. In a vulcanizing apparatus, a rotatable oven aforaminous reel for receiving the materlal to be vulcanizedsymmetrically positioned within said oven and rigidly secured thereto,the common axis of rotation for said oven and reel comprising a hollowconduit having a plurality of openings therethrough, means for admittingsteam to Ythe conduit whereby the steam flows through the openings inythe conduit and the foramlnous portion of the reel to the material tobe vulcanized, and means for rotating the oven.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name .this 25 day of AprilA. D., 1923.

ROBERT R. WILLIAMS.

